Arthur Ferguson Jones is a simple and timid man, punctual and committed, he is most certainly as honest as the day is long. Worshipping his co-worker, Wilhelmina, from afar he is most surprised when both of them are thrust together after an incident at work. It turns out that Arthur is a dead ringer for escaped gangster, Killer Mannion, so after mistakenly being arrested, Arthur is issued with a special identity pass by the police, something which the real Mannion is very very interested in!
John Ford is of course one of cinema's leading lights, notable films fill out his CV at regular intervals, yet I wonder just how many a film fan would associate the great man with screwball comedy? More importantly, how many would associate The Whole Town Is Talking with being a misunderstood piece of class? Herein lays the most interesting aspect with this largely forgotten John Ford picture, it's a screwy comedy caper first and foremost, yet as I dug deeper in research I found that many critics find it to be a darkly humorous film with almost artistic genius seeping from its pores.
Well is it all that? As they say down my way! Well the truth is is that it falls into the film army that enlists the more than meets the eye characters, but it's ultimately overvalued because of the generals leading the piece. There is no doubt that the picture is gladly oozing a dark duality subtext, where once was a mild and timid man, a sequence of events gives our main protagonist confidence and a devilishly purpose of being; it's a masterful piece of film making from director and leading man alike. Yet as great as these dark undertones are, I personally have come away from the film feeling deprived of a bona fide comedy classic, it feels to me like it got confused within its intentions.
Edward G Robinson is sublime in the dual roles of Killer and Arthur, a very special actor that had more in his armoury than merely playing famous thugs. Here he positively revels in the chance to play both sides of the caricature genre coin. Jean Arthur is delightful as Wilhelmina, husky voice and smoking a cigarette like no babe from the 30s did, while Arthur Hohl, Wallace Ford & Donald Meek all earned their money with solid performances. The writing is brisk from Jo Swerling and Robert Riskin, adapting from the W.R. Burnett novel (who wrote the excellent Little Caesar), they have avoided drifting into farce mode and laid down an astute, if ambiguous, piece of work.
It's an odd thing to say, but it's a strangely un-fulfilling film that is most definitely essential viewing for serious cinephiles, yes, it really is something of a conundrum, but maybe that is just me? 7.5/10
John Ford is of course one of cinema's leading lights, notable films fill out his CV at regular intervals, yet I wonder just how many a film fan would associate the great man with screwball comedy? More importantly, how many would associate The Whole Town Is Talking with being a misunderstood piece of class? Herein lays the most interesting aspect with this largely forgotten John Ford picture, it's a screwy comedy caper first and foremost, yet as I dug deeper in research I found that many critics find it to be a darkly humorous film with almost artistic genius seeping from its pores.
Well is it all that? As they say down my way! Well the truth is is that it falls into the film army that enlists the more than meets the eye characters, but it's ultimately overvalued because of the generals leading the piece. There is no doubt that the picture is gladly oozing a dark duality subtext, where once was a mild and timid man, a sequence of events gives our main protagonist confidence and a devilishly purpose of being; it's a masterful piece of film making from director and leading man alike. Yet as great as these dark undertones are, I personally have come away from the film feeling deprived of a bona fide comedy classic, it feels to me like it got confused within its intentions.
Edward G Robinson is sublime in the dual roles of Killer and Arthur, a very special actor that had more in his armoury than merely playing famous thugs. Here he positively revels in the chance to play both sides of the caricature genre coin. Jean Arthur is delightful as Wilhelmina, husky voice and smoking a cigarette like no babe from the 30s did, while Arthur Hohl, Wallace Ford & Donald Meek all earned their money with solid performances. The writing is brisk from Jo Swerling and Robert Riskin, adapting from the W.R. Burnett novel (who wrote the excellent Little Caesar), they have avoided drifting into farce mode and laid down an astute, if ambiguous, piece of work.
It's an odd thing to say, but it's a strangely un-fulfilling film that is most definitely essential viewing for serious cinephiles, yes, it really is something of a conundrum, but maybe that is just me? 7.5/10